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(No Model.) I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. G. B. FISHER. GANG EDGER.

Patented Oct. 20, 1891 Illlllllllllll..

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G. B. FISHER.

GANG BDGER.

No. 461,747. Patented Oct. 20, 1891.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES B. FISHER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO THOMAS D. DAVIS, OF SAME PLACE.

GANG-EDGER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 461,747, dated October 20, 1891.

Application filed February 12, 1891- Serial No. 381,204. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES B. FISHER, of the city of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Gang-Edgers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to certain improvements in gang-edgers; and my invention consists in features of novelty hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

Figure I is a top or plan view of my improved machine. Fig. II' is an enlarged detail side elevation. Fig. III is a vertical section taken on line 111 III, Fig. II, and showing but one side of the machine. Fig. IV is a detail elevation showing part of one of the side timbers of the frame of the machine and showing the ratchet-lever and pawl of the roller elevating or lifting mechanism. Fig. V is a vertical section taken on line V V, Fig. VI. Fig. VI is a vertical transverse section taken on line VI VI, Fig. II. Fig. VII is an enlarged detail View of the graduated hand-wheels for adjusting the movable saws, and showing also the spring dogs or blocks for holding the hand-wheels, and through them the saws, from turning when the saws are in operation. Fig. VII is another detail view of the graduated hand-wheels for adjusting the movable saws.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the frame of the machine, which may be of any desired form or size.

2 represents a mandrel, upon which the fixed saw 3 and the movable saws 4 are mounted. There is nothing novel in the manner ofmounting'the saws on the mandrel, which may be done in any well-known way. The mandrel is, as usual, provided with a driving-pulley 5 and is arranged in boxes 6, by which it is secured to the frame 1. Directly beneath the mandrel are two sliding racks 7, (see Figs. II and V1,) which are held in a guide 8, secured to the frame 1, and in which the racks are capable of moving endwise. The racks are engaged by pinions 9, secured to the inner ends of shafts 10, which extend back to the far end of the machine from where the saws are located. There is a pinion 9 for each rack 7 and a shaft 10 for each pinion. On each rack there is an up- "movable saws along the mandrel to a mathematical certainty of the position to which he has moved them, and this part of my invention consists in combining with the means which I have described for shifting the saws a hand-wheel 13, located on the outer end of each shaft 10, and by which the shafts are turned. Each hand-wheel is graduated, as shown in Fig. VII, the numerals indicating the number of inches each movable sawis from the fixed saw. Opposite each numeral on the hand-wheels is a notch 14 in the pe-- riphery of the wheels, and these notches are engaged by spring-actuated dogs or blocks 15, held in the recessed head 16 of an arm 17, secured to the frame of the machine between the hand-wheels, as shown in Figs. Iand VII. The graduation of the hand-wheels are so laid off with respect to the size of the pinions 9 that the numerals on the hand-wheels will indicate to a mathematical certainty the position of the saws on the mandrel, so that the operator standing at the far end of the machine from the saws will know by looking at the numerals on the hand-wheels just how far each movable saw is from the fixed saw, and therefore can gage the width of his lum- 'ber to a certainty and in a much easier and quicker manner than he can with any arrangement which has, to my knowledge,been heretofore used.

20 represents the feed-rollers, arranged, as usual, in boxes 21, secured to the frame of the machine, these rollers being provided with driving-pulleys 22, as usual.

23 represents rollers located over the rollers 20 and which hold the boards down upon the rollers 20, so as to insure the feed of the boards.

Another part of my invention relates to the means of supporting and lifting the rollers 23 to admit the boards between the rollers. Each roller is arranged in the free ends of arms 25,

the arms of each roller being preferably connected by an end piece 26 and a cross-bar 27. The arms 25 of one of the rollers are pivoted at 28 to the frame 1, and the arms of the other roller are pivoted at 29 to the frame I.

30 represents vertical pins, which fit loosely in brackets 31, secured to the frame of the machine. (See Figs. I and III.) There are two of these pins to each roller 23, one of them being located on one side of the machine and the other at the other side, as shown clearly in Fig. I. The cross-bars 27 rest on the upper ends of these pins, or, if preferred, the pins could of course be so located that the arms 25 or the end pieces 20 would rest on their upper ends. The lower ends of the pins rest on bars 32, (one on each side of the machine,) which are connected by arms 33 to rock-shat ts 3i, journaled by boxes 35 to the frame 1. On one of the rockshafts 3i is a crank 36, connected by a rod 37 to a lever 38, (see Figs. I and IV,) which is pivoted to the frame I and provided with a pawl 39 for engaging a ratchet eLO. 13y pulling the lever 33 in the direction of the arrow, Fig. IV, the bars 32 will be elevated or raised, moving the pins 30 upwardly in their brackets 31 and lifting the rollers 23away from the rollers 20, and it will thus be seen that the operator can by the simple movement of the lever elevate the rollers 23 simultaneously and to any desired extent, and that as each board passes between the rollers the rollers 23 will not fall onto the rollers 20, but will be sustained by the pawl and ratchet, thus avoiding injury to the machine as a whole due to the heavy rollers 23 falling onto the rollers 20 and jarring the machine, besides there being the advantage that when the rollers are set for a certain thickness of board they do not require any attention while that thickness of board is being worked. as they are held by the pawl and ratchet sufficiently far apart to grasp aboard even when the last board has moved out of the machine.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a gang-edger, the combination of the movable saws, a rack for each saw, a connection between each rack and its saw, a pinion engaging each rack, a shaft for each pinion and which extends to the far end of the machine from the saws, a graduated hand-wheel blocks between said hand-wheels for engaging the notches of the hand-wheels, all substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a gang-edger, the combination of the movable saws, a rack for each saw, a connection between each rack and its saw, a pinion engaging each rack, a shaft for each pinion, which extends to the far end of the machine from the saws, a graduated-hand-wheel on each shaft having a notched periphery, an arm 17, located between the hand-wheels and having a recessed head 16, and spring-actuated blocks or dogs fittingin said head and engaging the notches in the hand-wheels, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4.. In a gang-edger,in combination with the feed-rollers, the movable rollers 23, pivoted arms in which the movable rollers are j ournaled. vertically-moving pins for lifting the movable rollers, bars located beneath the pins, rock'shafts to which the bars are connected,

a crank on one of the shafts, and a lever connected to said crank, whereby the rollers may be simultaneously lifted or raised.

5. In a gang-edger, in combination with the feed-rollers, the movable rollers located over the feed-rollers, pivoted arms in which the movable rollers are jonrnaled, brackets secured to the frame of the machine, vertical pins fitting loosely in said brackets, bars upon which the lower ends of said pins bear, rockshafts, arms connecting the bars to the rockshafts, a crank on one of the rock-shafts, a pivoted lever, a rod connecting the lever to said crank, a ratchet secured to the frame of the machine, and a pawl on the lever for engaging the ratchet, all substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

CHAS. B. FISHER.

In presence of- GEO. H. KNIGHT, THOS. KNIGHT. 

